Ficci demands review of work permit policy for foreigners
Regulatory Reforms Commission Chairman Dr Akbar Ali Khan speaks at the monthly luncheon meeting at a city hotel, organised by Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. Ficci President Waliur Rahman Bhuiyan, Secretary General MA Matin and Executive Committee member Anis A Khan were also present. Photo: FICCI
Foreign investors have demanded that the government review the existing work permit policy for foreign nationals as they face difficulties in obtaining such a permit on time.
“A foreign worker is required to wait for a couple of months before obtaining a work permit or renewing it, which sometimes hampers productivity,” Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) President Waliur Rahman Bhuiyan said at the chamber's monthly luncheon meeting in Dhaka yesterday.
He said every foreign worker should get the work permit on time, if any company legitimately places their requirement.
Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) Chairman Dr Akbar Ali Khan acknowledged the issue and criticised the Board of Investment (BoI) for its role in this regard.
He said the BoI sometimes imposes very high regulations on the investment process, which ultimately discourages investment.
Akbar Ali Khan said the government officials are responsible for these problems because they posses a bureaucratic mentality.
He said many sectors in the country are running without any regulations, causing much suffering to the general people. Citing an example, Khan said the country currently has no regulations on high-rise buildings, and high-rise buildings are sprouting every day in the capital city.
Khan suggested that the new government should introduce a culture of rewarding those people who work correctly and punish those who indulge in wrongdoings.
UK High Commissioner to Dhaka Stephen Evans, Ficci Executive Committee member Anis A Khan and Secretary MA Matin attended the programme.
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